Harwinton: Wolfworks building firm to provide tours of ‘passive’ house

Submitted photo - WolfworksThis house at 17 Metacomet Road in Farmington, designed by Jamie Wolf of Wolfworks in Avon, is being built as a net zero “passive house.” Another tour in Harwinton is set for Saturday, Oct. 5.

Submitted photo - WolfworksAt an event held during construction of a passive house Wolfworks deisgned and built in Harwinton, a demonstration is given of these in-swinging European windows that gain more energy than they lose and close as tight as a car door. Tours of this house will be held Saturday, Oct. 5

harwinton >> Homeowners are learning about the importance of energy savings and are seeking ways to conserve resources and keep costs down. What they may not know is this: homes can actually produce more energy than they use if designed and built as a “passive house.”

Paul and Diane Honig, whose Harwinton home won the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund’s 2012 CT Net Zero Energy Challenge, will host an open house Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event coincides with the American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Tour and the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s annual Green Buildings Open House Tour held annually across the Northeast.

A presentation about Passive House design principles and what Net Zero means will be given by designer Jamie Wolf and construction manager Janet Downey, both of Wolfworks, and other members of the project team. Companies and organizations taking part in the open house include Aegis Solar Energy; Energize CT; and Home Energy Technologies.

The presentation will be given twice, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and tours of the house in between. The address is 55 Town Line Road, Harwinton, but since GPS systems lead to the wrong place when the actual address is used, visitors should follow directions to Town Line Road in New Hartford.

No reservations are required, but for further information, call 860-676-9238 or e-mail info@homesthatfit.com.

A demonstration of that process was offered to the public Sept. 22 at a home under construction in Farmington.

The open house wa hosted by Wolfworks, a design and build firm based in Avon. The firm’s principal, designer Jamie Wolf, is a Certified Passive House Consultant and the first person in Connecticut to provide this service. He previously designed the passive house in Harwinton, the first in Connecticut to be officially certified as such.

That house was the winner of the 2012 Connecticut Net Zero Energy Challenge, a design and build competition sponsored by the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) and its utility partners, Connecticut Light & Power and The United Illuminating Company.

Homes that are “Net Zero” – able to produce as much energy as they consume on an annual basis – are not only possible, but can be affordably built, Wolf said.

During the presentations, people will hear about designing and building using the passive house method; solar electric systems that can power the house and an electric car; what a home’s energy balance is; how energy ratings lead to smart choices about energy use; how incentives make it easier and more affordable to save energy.